Windows
by UntamedArtistry
Summary: Korra brought a certain vibrancy and childishness that he needed. Her boldness, clashing with his modest, stoic personality picked away at the stone armor that encased his true spirit. Modern AU, set in Hong Kong. Makorra.
1. Chapter 1

It was moving day. She had left her parents at 18 years old to pursue her life. It was time to officially begin.

Korra carried the last box and pushed it into the apartment with her foot. She had finally finished moving all of her possessions into her apartment successfully.

"Time to set up the bachelorette pad." She said, already tired from unloading all of her boxed. She began to unpack by taking out a pocket knife and cutting into the first box she laid eyes on.

Korra spent hours unpacking everything until she was left with a stack of flattened and emptied boxes that were to be disposed of. Her new residence was suiting her nicely.

She flopped onto her couch and turned on her television. All she wanted to do now was just sit back and rest for a while.

* * *

Korra woke from her sleep. It was bright outside and she realized that she had dozed off last night after she finished packing. She walked over the to the bathroom and began to ready herself for the day, and today was her first day at work.

Korra hadn't seen much of her house yet, so she walked around, wet hair from her recent shower and toothbrush hanging out of her mouth. She surveyed the small details while walking around the little space until she came across her wide open window. She looked across at the other apartment window. She was staring face to face with the other man staring at her as well.

For the split second she stood there with the toothbrush hanging from her mouth, she had no idea what to do. Then her mind began to work and she threw her toothbrush onto her coffee table and approached the window again, but not without the slight blush that had managed to creep onto her face.

Unlatching the window, she opened it. It was still quiet, since it was a little bit early in the morning. The other person opened his window and looked at her. Korra was frozen there. She normally had something to say in every situation. This time, however, she didn't.

"Aren't you gonna introduce yourself?" The man asked.

"Huh? Oh! The name's Korra."

"Mako. I see you've just moved in. Where are you from?"

"Canada."

"You came all this way to Hong Kong?"

"I needed to get out of being so secluded! You know, Canada isn't just Toronto and Ontario."

"I know that. Where are you from?"

"Nunavut. Just moved from Iqaluit, but I used to live way up north where you could see the northern lights every night, and in the summer, it never gets dark outside."

"Nunavut? You came all this way from _Nunavut_? That's unbelievable."

"I know. I just wanted to get out and see the rest of the world."

"Is it really that small?"

"Yes, plenty of people there are traditional Inuits and everything. It's a pretty wide open space."

"That must be so nice."

"To do what?"

"Live in seclusion and just have so much space to think and do whatever. It's so crowed and crazy here in the city."

"I take it you were born in Hong Kong?"

"Yeah. Always lived here. Since I was a kid." Mako looked down. He thought of his parents who were now gone, forever.

"You okay?" Korra asked.

"Yeah, I just remembered I gotta get to work." Mako said. "See ya around." Korra waved as he shut his window. She could have sworn she saw him wipe a tear from his eye. She shrugged and went back to dressing herself for her first day at work.

Korra looked at her clock and nearly fell over.

"Shit!" She frantically ran around boxes and various obstacles, trying to put on all of her uniform for the day ahead. She finally grabbed her keys and ran out the door, almost forgetting to lock up before she sprinted down the hallway.

* * *

"It's my first day and I'm already gonna be fired." Korra mumbled to herself, searching through her bag for a hair tie. She hadn't had time to fix her hair before she left.

Not looking in front of her, she messily crashed into a tall figure in front of her.

"I am so sorry, I was just in a hurry and-" Korra stopped as she looked up at the man helping her gather the fallen contents of her purse.

"Are you following me or something?" The person she had collided with was Mako.

"I was thinking the same thing. There's no way we could be working at the same place."

"Huh." Mako handed Korra the handful of the possessions that fell from her bag.

"Thanks, City boy!" Korra gathered her things into her bag and rose from the sidewalk where people rushed past her. She brushed off and walked inside her new workplace: The Arena. She had been immersed in martial arts since she was a kid. She was trained by the best on her side of the world, taken to various places to perfect in the art she loved so much. Kung Fu, Karate, Judo, Capoeira, you name it. She was a maestro already, even though she was only 23. She competed with people twice her size and age, and she won them over.

Korra walked into the large yet cozy place. She surveyed the large, empty and cozy space that seemed to draw her in with every step she took.

"There you are!" Toza exclaimed. "Korra, welcome to work. You're a little late though."

"Yeah, I-uh, had some personal things to take care of." Korra lied.

"That's fine, just don't do it again! But anyway, This is your only other staff member, Mako. Classes have been gettin kinda big, so you're a perfect addition to this place!" Toza gave her a slap on the back. "He's gonna teach you the ins and outs of this place. Learn well from him. I got some stuff to take care of, so you two behave, okay?"

Mako and Korra seemed to stare each other down as Toza walked out of the door. Mako wasn't comfortable with someone being forced in on his space as such. Having Korra as a neighbor was just fine, but her intruding on his haven to practice and develop his art, no way.

"Well, first things first, take off your shoes." Mako said. He lead her to the locker room where she placed her things.

"Then what?"

"Normally, you'd just train until the first class comes in, but since this is your first day on the job, I'll let you observe for today."

"What is there to observe? We're teaching kids martial arts!"

"Just do whatever you want, but don't get in my way, alright?"

"Since when did you become such a hard-ass?"

"Since you decided to take a job here." Mako replied. "Now excuse me while I train."

"Whatever, City Boy." Korra planted herself on the ground in the training area and decided to watch Mako train.

She critically picked apart the bits and pieces that were wrong and right in his form. Korra became an analytical machine when it came to martial arts. Give her a piece of math to figure out, and her mind would go berserk in all the wrong ways. But give her a martial art to observe and she could write a 6 page paper on the correct and wrong forms, single spaced.

"You need more speed." Korra remarked.

"Excuse me?"

"You need more speed. If you move any slower, your blows are gonna be too easily blocked."

"And, who's the newbie here?"

"Stand there." Korra said.

"Answer my question at least." Mako replied.

"Kick at me like you just did." Mako frowned and did as he was told. Korra deftly and effortlessly caught his foot in a hold. "Told you."

"You know Judo?"

"And Kung Fu, Tai Chi, and plenty of others. Martial arts has been my life since I could walk." Mako was quite taken aback by her boldness.

"Let's spar, if you're so good, then."

"You got it captain." Korra took her stance and narrowed her eyes. "Ready when you are."

Mako took the first shot, just to be easily blocked by Korra who slid around his effortlessly. Mako marveled at the way she moved, switching styles of fighting when she so pleased.

Korra and Mako continued to spar until Korra won with a deft move.

"You-you-"

"That's what I thought, City Boy." Korra smirked. "You can go back to training if you want." She planted herself in the same place that she sat as last time. "I'll be observing while you teach."

Mako rolled his eyes and went back to training, knowing that he was always going to be under Korra's criticism as long as she was employed there.

He honestly couldn't stand the fact that he had to work with her. Korra. The girl straight across from his apartment."

* * *

**A/N: Aaaaand...Cut. Next chapter is going to be up pretty soon. Maybe even another. Today's my last day of school, so I should start it out with a Lok fanfiction. I haven't written anything for Legend of Korra yet, but I've been wanting to so bad. Stupid school was holding me up, though. So glad to be done with one year, now it's time for the next three. **

**I'm really liking this first chapter. And this is set in Hong Kong because Republic City reminds me soooo much of Hong Kong or Shanghai. Hong Kong won me over, though.**

**You all will find out more about the characters next chapter though! **

**Please review! It makes my day so much!**

**This has been: Untamed Artistry**


	2. The Notebook

**A/N: Wow! All the reviews I got were so nice! They seriously just made my day! I'm glad people are liking the story!**

**Enjoy this next chapter y'all!**

* * *

Korra and Mako entered the building at the same time, both refusing to look at each other. The past month and a half had been nothing but rivalry and resentment toward each other. There was nothing they agreed on. Nothing.

They had become mortal enemies since the day Korra began to work at The Arena. If Korra decided on something, Mako disagreed in order to spite her. Korra remained insubordinate as always to attempt to break his hard shell. Nothing could bring the two together, yet nothing could tear them apart at the same time. It was as if they enjoyed each other's company to make each other angry.

Korra began to train, as Mako followed suit. Both of them vehemently punched the bags in front of them, imagining each other's faces as the struck the bags. Korra was the first to take a break in the middle of their training.

"Tired?" Mako snidely asked.

"No. I'm not finished yet." Korra returned to training, eyeing Mako every now and then to see if she should up her game.

The silent competition ensued between them, and both were ready to burst any moment.

The students filed into the dojo, waiting for their lesson to be taught to them. Mako and Korra eyed each other with rage for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. Korra rolled her eyes and continued on with beginning class.

"Okay, warmups everyone!" Korra jogged to the front of the class. She purposefully bumped Mako slightly as she slid past him. He gave a cold glare in her direction.

"Hey, Korra!"

"Oh, Hey Jinora! What's goin on?"

"Are you and that judo boy going out yet?" Korra began to blush.

"N-No! Why would you think that?"

"You guys seem like you like each other!"

"Well we don't. Just start your warm up or you get 10 hot squats." Korra walked towards the back of the room where she stretched her already worn muscles from nearly killing Mako earlier today while they were sparring. She rubbed at her sore neck from where she had missed a perfect opportunity to dodge Mako's high kick. Mako winced at his side where Korra planted a mean punch to his abdomen. Sheepishly, they went back to working with the students underneath them, still angry at each other like they had been since the first day they met.

Toza walked out from his office and observed the teachings of the classroom. He watched as Korra and Mako tried hard to keep themselves at polar opposites of the room.

"Hey, Mako, Korra?" They both looked up at him.

"Why don't you guys spar and show these kids how a fight really looks?" Toza asked. "It's great practice for you two, anyway."

"Good idea, Toza!" Korra replied. Toza nodded off as he continued his daily errands that never seemed to disappear. She cracked her knuckles and pivoted to face Mako who had his arms crossed. He was sure Toza was purely trying to see him angry. He uncrossed his arms and took his fighting stance.

"Korra and Mako are gonna spar!" The children exclaimed. They circled around the large space where Korra and Mako were getting ready to face off.

"You ready, Korra?"

"Come at me, bro." Both of them stood there, silently telling each other through their eyes that they were about ready to strangle each other.

Korra took the first blow and Mako quickly dodged. Since she arrived at the dojo and they started sparring daily, he became used to her gracefully quick movements. Korra would always have the upper hand, though, since she was and has been a prodigy since she was young.

Korra and Mako easily swiveled around each other with kicks high and low, jumps, and high punches. Mako had taken time to observe her in the past weeks. He emulated her quick pace and her energetic movements.

"Looks like you've gotten better!" Korra remarked. "But not by that much." She ducked underneath his kick and came up with a punch.

"Don't kid yourself, Korra." Mako dodged yet another blow from Korra. She smirked and swiveled around him, landing a blow to his back.

"And again, I still win." Korra replied.

"We're not done yet!" Mako flipped her until she landed hard on the cold floor of the training area. She rubbed her elbow from where she landed. Korra grumbled as she rose to her feet and continued to fight again. The children around were observing wildly, wondering whether Mako and Korra were going to kill themselves.

The both of them began to wrestle with each other, not even paying attention to demonstrating anymore. Korra was hell bent on punishing Mako that moment.

They kicked and fought all the way to the corner of the room. Mako bumped the wall with his elbow, leaving a slight dent. Korra pushed him against the shelf on the wall which began to tip over. Korra kicked it back and went back to fighting again.

"You're so infuriating!" Korra said in between kicks. She began to unleash all of her fury on him, but not before Mako defeated Korra in a final move that had her flat on her back.

"And you're such a pain." Mako murmured loud enough for Korra to hear. She stood up and began to leave, but not before giving him one last kick on the side of his leg.

She stormed through the locker rooms and grabbed her things. Equally as angry, she stomped through the training area and out the door. She kept going until she reached the apartment that she called recently learned to call her home.

* * *

Korra carefully placed herself on the couch. Due to her strenuous training and sparring from earlier, she was sore and winced as she moved just the slightest bit.

As much as her mind was on her pain, she still thought of Mako. She thought of how much he angered her, and how frustrating he was to work with. Even though he was just about her mortal enemy, there was still something that drew her to him.

Her mind wandered to the window where she first met Mako.

_"Maybe..." _

Korra walked to the window slowly, being careful of her sore muscles. She peered through the relentless rain pouring down on the streets and buildings of Hong Kong to see Mako lounging on his windowsill. He peered back at her and looked down guiltily. She grabbed the notebook sitting near her and the sharpie from the cup of pens from the counter.

_**Are you there, Mako?**_

_Well, yes. Why wouldn't I be? I'm not dead. _

_**You know what I meant.**_

_Yes, I'm here. _

Korra paused for a moment. She didn't know what to say anymore.

_I'm sorry Korra. For everything. _

_**Mako is sorry? This is unbelievable.**_

_Take me seriously, please, Korra._

_**Okay, I'm listening.**_

_I know I've been giving you a bunch of shit since you came here, but I really regret it._

_**I'm sorry too.**_

_What do you have to be sorry for?_

_**For being so insubordinate all the time. I know, it's something I'll work on. **_

_**I guess I've been handing back my equal amount of bitchiness.**_

_So, let's start over. _

_**What is there to start over?**_

_Everything. We could stand to start off better than we have been._

_**Okay. You go first.**_

_Well, my name's Mako._

_**Korra.**  
_

_I'm from Hong Kong, born here, lived here, breathed here. It's all good._

_**I'm from Iqaluit, Nunavut.**  
_

_Rural, I'm guessing?_

_**Spot on.**  
_

_Age?  
_

_**23.**  
_

_24._

_**Damn. Only one year.**  
_

_It's not that much. Besides, I still feel like I'm 18._

_**I thought I was the only one.**  
_

_Most people make it seem like when you turn 18, your become this adult exempt from all of childhood... _

_**It's nothing like that.**  
_

_It's nerve wracking knowing that you're grown though._

_**Especially when you have so many different kids looking up to you.**  
_

_Younger siblings?_

_**Nope. Only child**._

_Ah. I have my brother, Bolin._

_**Bolin...sounds familiar.**  
_

_He's a kickboxer._

_**That's your brother? What are you doing here in Hong Kong, then?**  
_

_It's complicated. Bolin is doing well though. He insisted I don't come with because he wanted to be independent for once._

_**That's good you want to protect your brother, though.**_

_He's the only family I have left to protect._

_**Are you mom and dad...In a better place?**_

_That's the first time someone's described it without making me a completely melancholy mess on the inside._

_**:( Now you make me a melancholy mess.**_

_You're fine. It's been a while since it happened._

_**But that's still rough. I'm so sorry.**  
_

_I'm fine. I always have been._

_**Onto a happier subject: What's your favorite type of music. **  
_

_Too many, too hard._

_**Fine. What's the worst movie you've ever seen?**_

_Paranormal Activity. _

_**Finally! Someone who agrees! **  
_

Korra and Mako seemed to have an instant friendship. Once they put away all their attachments and add-ons, they were readily willing to show their true colors to each other. Over the next week or so, Korra had a small stack of notebooks from all their conversations that ran deep into the night. From secrets to memories and everything in between, they shared it with each other.

Stripped of the worldly labels and weights they bore everyday, they finally allowed each other to see themselves. They were able to create a new window to their understanding.


	3. Laughter

Mako sat on the edge of the windowsill waiting for Korra like usual. It had become a normal thing for them, and every night, vibrant conversations ensued between them, revealing deeper layers to each other than they ever imagined.

To Mako's pleasure, Korra's bright face popped up behind the glass. She pushed the window up, letting a gush of warm breeze inside her home.

"Talking must be our new hobby." Korra said, feeling the warm and humid air on her face.

"It keeps me busy." Mako replied. "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No, I was just about to go get some."

"You should come over here for dinner."

"You cook?"

"Is it not normal for a male to not know how to cook?"

"Well...Kind of. I mean, you don't walk around everyday to find a guy cooks his own food."

"I guess that makes me a minority of the male population."

"What's your specialty, anyway? Cereal?" Mako smiled and chuckled a bit, and so did Korra. She gave herself a mental high five for her witty remark.

"That was a good one, and I honestly don't have much of a specialty."

"No specialty, huh? Then what's for dinner?"

"You have to come over to see it." Korra began to climb through the window onto the set of steps that zig-zagged down the side of the apartment building. "What are you doing?"

"Coming over to your house!" She jogged down the steps and proceeded to meet Mako as she climbed the steps on his side of the division between the two buildings. She climbed just a bit father until she was parallel from Mako's face. "I'm here!"

"Not bad." Mako remarked as he backed away so Korra could climb inside. Korra took a whiff of the air inside Mako's apartment. It smelled delicious.

Her stomach rumbled at the sound of the sizzling noodles on the stove. She could smell the savory food that was going to be her dinner.

Korra took her seat on a stool by the kitchen counter. She watched as Mako stirred and seasoned the food inside the pan. He gave the noodles one more flip before serving them on two plates. He placed them at the nearby dining table where Korra took her seat. She picked up her chopsticks and fumbled with them a bit. Mako looked up to find her struggling with them in her hand.

"You hold them like this." Mako demonstrated. Korra took a glance and attempted to change her chopsticks in her hand, but they just ended up falling on her plate. Mako kept his laughter inside as he continued to watch her struggle with the eating utensil.

After ten minutes of watching her fumble around with the instruments, he finally decided to help her. He reached across the table and placed the chopsticks in her hand, positioning her fingers so that she gripped them easily.

"That's how you hold them." Mako pointed out.

"I knew that." Korra lied.

"Sure you did." Mako replied. Korra rolled her eyes and dove into her food. Her taste buds most likely exploded when she was greeted with a mouth full of spices and flavorings.

"So what do you think?"

"You really did it tonight, Mama Mako." He nearly spit out his food.

"Mama Mako?"

"It's a fitting name! You cook for people! And you wear an apron!"

"You have got to be kidding me."

"It's true!" Korra replied. Mako rolled his eyes with an exasperated chuckle. Sometimes, Korra was annoying, but in the good way that made you laugh until your sides split in two. He liked that about her.

"One of these days, you're gonna land yourself a sticky nickname from me."

"When pigs fly, Mama Mako. When pigs fly." Mako bit the side of his mouth to keep from laughing. Korra giggled again from her sarcastic remark.

"I want to know...Can you play Pai sho?"

"Pai Sho? I love that game!"

"I find it hard to believe that Pai Sho exists up in Nunavut."

"Again, we have radios, stores and schools you know?"

"I know, but whenever I think of Nunavut, I always think of a frozen tundra or something."

"Well during the winter, you're pretty spot on."

"Are we going to play Pai Sho or not?"

"A chance to own Mako at something? You can count me in."

"We'll see who wins." Mako replied.

Mako and Korra took their seats on the floor with the Pai Sho board in front of them. Mako and Korra stared each other down before Mako made the first move. Korra made her move and Mako furrowed his brow a bit.

"Ready to give up, City Boy?

"Not just yet." Mako replied. Korra watched as he made a careful move on the board.

The two of them deliberately continued the game, their actions and eye contacts speaking words for them. They were in such deep focus of the game, they weren't aware of anything but each other and the Pai Sho board between them. As the game drew to a close, their frantic hands moved across the board, vying to win the game. Mako smirked when he played the last move.

"I won." He said.

"No you didn't!" Korra replied.

"I so won! Anyone with eyes could see that!" Mako pointed to the board. Korra examined the playing field carefully.

"See, you made a mistake! You played a foul move!"

"That's allowed in Pai Sho!"

"What kind of game are you playing?"

"I should be asking you that question!"

"You should be figuring out how to play another move because we're not done yet!"

"I won Korra, there's nothing to it!"

"There's plenty to it, Mako! Count up all your pieces and tell me that you don't see how you miscounted!" Mako began to pack up the Pai Sho tiles into the board. "What are you doing? We aren't done yet!" Mako couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he watched Korra react.

"I won, fair and square."

"So we're doing this again, cool guy? Fine. Rock, paper, scissors. Best two out of three."

"Nope."

"Oh come on!" Korra begged. Mako stood up holding the Pai Sho board. She sprang up after him trying to grab the board from him. She maneuvered around him, chasing the box while he stood in one spot, towering over her relatively short stature and passing the board from behind his back to above his head.

"Just give up now, Korra."

"Never!"

"I won." Korra gave an exasperated sigh.

"Fine. You win." She said as she threw her hands up. Mako set the Pai Sho board on the long table while Korra pouted. Their eyes met for a split second before Korra started laughing.

"This is ridiculous." She said as she continued to laugh. Mako let out a small chuckle, but he hadn't let out a hearty laugh like Korra's in a long time. He watched as she held her sides, now on the floor. He couldn't remember the last time he had truly laughed with pure joy like Korra since his parent's died.

Slowly but surely, he started to laugh, building up until their laughter started to radiate throughout the room. Mako hadn't felt his sides split from laughter in years. He almost forgot the sensation of laughing until he met Korra. Regardless, he had to admit the whole ordeal was pretty silly.

"Whoa! Cool guy can laugh?" Korra asked, eyes wide in surprise. She reminded Mako of a small child. She wiped the small tear that balanced on her eyelash. She began her descent down from rapid laughs to small chuckles. Mako couldn't help but blush. After all of this time spent without feeling the joy that Korra probably woke up feeling everyday, Mako truly smiled of pure happiness.

Korra had brought a certain light and brightness to his life that he hadn't felt in a long time. He had become such a stoic and serious character. Korra seemed to bring out the happier side of him that no one had seen or remembered anymore. Ever since he lost his parents, he painted the cracks in his exterior to care for his younger brother, Bolin. In doing so, he painted a harsh and brooding personality on top of his true, more caring nature. He had become afraid of opening up to anyone besides his brother in order to protect himself. He only had himself and Bolin, and with the loss of his parents, he couldn't stand the fact of anyone taking the only family he had left. Sometimes, even Mako could forget the fragile spirit that lay underneath the shells of armor, laced with the despair of losing his beloved parents. With Korra, however, he felt like he could finally let her gradually chip away at the hard layers of protection over his fragile heart and learn to feel emotion the way he wanted to.

* * *

**A/N: Just wanted to say that all your reviews really made my entire weekend.**


	4. Folklore

"Korra, I can't believe I let you drag me all the way out here!" It was pouring rain and Korra and Mako were running through the slick and wet streets of Hong Kong. Korra wanted to take him to one of her favorite tea shops, but he declined, pointing out the forming storm clouds to her. She disregarded his plea to stay inside and pulled him along anyway. They had a sip of tea, talking about anything that came to their minds. While leisurely walking through the streets, Mako and Korra started to quicken their pace until they were in a full sprint.

"It's about time you stepped over the edge for once!"

"I hate rain!"

"Too bad! You know you liked that tea, anyway!" Korra slowed down once they reached their apartments. Mako climbed into his apartment where Korra spent most of her time outside of the Arena. She began to laugh at his wet form wriggling through the window. She fit herself easily through the window, ungracefully falling to the soft floor that waited for her. Mako blushed as he watched her clumsily enter her home.

The silliness of Korra's character radiated from her in each possible direction. The lightheartedness of her heart slowly began to wear and chip away at the stone cold layers on his heart.

Later, after Korra had dried herself, she passed by her window to see Mako waiting for her like always. She smiled and picked up the notebook she had left off on and began to write.

_**Sorry the rain decided to hit us today.**_

_You're fine. I think we just ran into bad luck._

_**I have a question...Why do you wear that scarf all the time?**_

_It was my dad's. This is one of the only things I have left of my parents._

_**Was his favorite color red?**_

_Something close._

_**Does it always rain like this during the summer here in Hong Kong? **_

_Yeah. It takes some getting used to._

_**I like rain. It's cool and it smells fresh after it stops.**_

_Rain is just a nuisance._

_**Says you.**_

_I like the sun better. Maybe it's because you're from Nunavut._

_**The sun comes out in Nunavut, you know. During summertime, the sun never sets.**_

_You're not serious, are you?_

_**I'm serious as a heart attack. The sun never goes down and in the winter, the sun won't come up for months at a time. **_

_Really?_

_**Yeah. But at least we get to see The Northern Lights. **  
_

_Aurora Borealis. What's that like?_

_**Awesome. I remember being a kid and celebrating the first Northern Lights every year.  
****There was always a huge festival and everyone would watch together after dancing and eating a ton of food. It was great.**  
_

_Nice._

_**My mom would always tell me that if I jumped too high while watching the Northern Lights, they'd fly down and cut my head off.**  
_

_So what did you do?_

_**I ran outside and dared the spirits to take my head. **  
_

_Really, Korra?_

_**I was a devilish kid!**_

_Of course you were._

_**Can you do any better? At least I told the story of a daredevil!**  
_

_I can do much better. I have a story to tell you._

_**What's it called?**  
_

_Seven Sisters Festival, or Qi Xi. _

_**Seven Sisters? This sounds kind of strange...**  
_

_Believe me, this isn't! It's an old tale my parents used to tell me when I was a kid._

_**Tell me! **  
_

_It's better if I tell it to you by mouth than by writing it!_

_**You're willing to climb these stairs again in this pouring rain?**  
_

_You're right. I'll just draw you pictures instead._

_**Once upon a time...**  
_

_The Jade Emperor had seven daughters, one of them named Zhinu who escaped from Heaven. She came across a cowherd named Niulang and they got married and had two kids. _

Mako illustrated a quick picture on one page, making Korra burst out in laughter. Mako smiled a bit for making Korra laugh.

_**Keep going!**_

_Zhinu's mother isn't happy, so she forces her to return to heaven for marrying a mortal. Lover boy tries to con her mom by taking advice from a talking cow to wear its hide and go to heaven to find Zhinu._

_**Seriously? A talking cow?**  
_

_Just wait. It gets better!  
Then, Zhinu's mom finds the guy and gets angry, so she takes out her hairpin and scratches a huge river between them, creating the Milky Way. _

Another badly drawn picture made Korra laugh, nearly falling off of the windowsill. _  
_

_**Zhinu's mom looks like an indecipherable animal/human hybrid.**_

_Well, she's a goddess. Chinese mythology is extremely dysfunctional._

_**But at least it's entertaining! **  
_

_Well, continuing in the story, Zhinu has to sit and weave on her turf up in heaven while her hubby had to take care of their kids on his turf. _

_**What does this have to do with the festival?**  
_

_Well, around August, when you look at the sky, the two constellations meet. This is because magpies of the earth took pity and flew up to the sky to create a bridge so they could meet once each year on the seventh night of the seventh moon._

_**That's such a sweet story.**  
_

Mako began to blush wildly. Now that he had told her the story, he always thought of her.

_I had a particular fondness for this one when I was younger. I honestly don't even know why. _

_**Well, everyone seems to have that really obscure thing they like. **  
_

_Such as?_

_**Painting fences or people who like the smell of chlorine!**  
_

_There can't be people who actually enjoy that._

_**Believe me, there are. **  
_

_To each his own._

_**Hey, I'm getting tired. See you at work, okay?**  
_

_Alright. Good night._

Mako watched as Korra clumsily fell from the windowsill. He saw her smile

_"There it is, again." _Mako thought. Watching Korra smile or laugh made his heart radiate with warmth, shedding more of the layers of protection that he threw on his heart so frequently.


	5. Glasses

A/N: I just have to say...my readers are awesome! Thanks for reading and I'm glad you like it!

* * *

Korra sat with her wet hair on the couch, eating her cereal and watching the football match on the television. She sighed as she plopped her spoon in the now soggy corn flakes. She had been so ensued in the game, she forgot about her food.

Her favored team, Italy was tied with Croatia, and she didn't want to be there to see the potential lose. She looked out of the window to see Mako sitting in the windowsill. She climbed out of the window, wanting some company as she ascended into his apartment.

"Hey, Mako." She gracefully landed on both of her feet for once.

"Finally, someone wasn't a spaz."

"I've been getting my practice. Besides, I need to see you fall sometime too!"

"Yeah, when pigs fly."

"And it looks like I've been rubbing off on you too. Way to go."

"As if, Korra." She slid past him onto the stool next to the counter. "Breakfast?"

"I made extra, so you can have it."

"Thanks." Korra slid the colorful food on the pan onto the plate in front of her. She struggled a bit with her chopsticks, like always, then she steadied herself.

"You can never get those on the first try, can you?"

"Hey, I'm still the new kid on the block. Cut me some slack!"

"Just eat, and enjoy." Korra tasted the food in front of her.

"Hmmm…." She murmured as she chewed her food. She gave Mako applause for his cooking.

"You know, someday you'll have to cook something for me."

"Are you being sexist or are you being serious?"

"I'm being completely serious, Korra. You have got to learn how to cook."

"But I rely on you for all my meals except breakfast! Besides, I make some nice cereal in the morning…"

"Cereal doesn't count as cooking, Korra."

"Says you."

"Says every culinary inclined human being."

"But that's completely fine with me. I get good food that way."

"What are you going to do when you lose a bet and you have to cook?"

"I'll make cereal." Mako rolled his eyes. Korra laughed at her joke.

"You never cease to amaze me, Korra."

"I try." She continued to eat until she spotted the black framed glasses near her. Mako's eyes turned into saucers. "Do you wear glasses, Mako?"

"What?"

"I said, do you wear glasses?"

"No, those aren't mine. I'm holding them for a friend." Korra decided she needed to get something out of Mako this morning. She mischievously smiled and began to prod at him even more.

"What friend?"

"The one that goes to…uh….um—"

"You wear glasses."

"No I don't, Korra!"

Mako began to blush. No one except Bolin knew he wore glasses. The day he dropped his contacts down the drain in his sink, Korra has to find out he wore his glasses. He hated his glasses with a passion. He never forgot the one bully in 2nd grade that would never leave him alone about his eyesight. Every day in PE, he got his glasses stolen and the bully laughed every time he missed the ball coming toward the goal in soccer. The young children would gang up on him in the locker rooms every day after PE, blaming him for the loss of the team, while his bully just snickered in the corner.

"Just put them on!"

"Again, I don't wear glasses!"

"Fine. How many fingers am I holding up?" Korra held up her hand, showing three fingers.

"Uhh…Three?" Mako made a lucky guess and took a sigh of relief as Korra laughed. She scribbled something on a piece of paper and held it up in front of her.

"Read it."

"Is that a fifteen?"

"Hmm….seems like you're getting lucky.." Korra had one more trick up her sleeve. She held up a sign farther back from him. He rolled his eyes. "What does this say?"

"…."

"…"

"…."

"Come on, Mako…"

"…..Fine! I wear glasses!"

"Ha! I knew it!"

"Korra, don't—"

"Put them on! Please!"

"No."

"Why not? You probably look nice in them."

"I said no." Korra hopped of her stool and grabbed the glasses. She chased him around the living room, maneuvering around the couches and sofas.

"Just put them on!"

"No!" Mako tried to fight Korra off. He couldn't help but smile a little bit at her childishness.

"Please?" Korra's eyes were huge and she tried her cute face. Mako forced himself to keep a straight face.

"Cute faces don't work on me, Korra. They never have."

"Aw, come on! Just put them on!"

"No!" Korra took the silent moment to ambush Mako's face with the black framed glasses. He relished the clearness of the room around him, but hated the fact that he was wearing them in front of Korra.

"There. You look fine, Mako."

"No, I don't, Korra."

"Where on earth did you get that from?" Mako plopped back down onto the couch, feeling like he was in 2nd grade all over again.

"Hide."

"Hide, who? Care to fill me in?"

"No."

"Come on, just let it out." Mako held the bridge of his nose and let out a breath. He hadn't talked about anything related to school in years, and he hadn't had a real friend besides Bolin to help him with bullies or crushes. It felt strange to him just talking about it with Korra.

"Fine." Mako groaned. He held the bridge of his nose as we watched Korra laugh. "Hide was a kid in my PE class in 2nd grade when I was in elementary school."

"Go on." Korra urged.

"Well, In the middle of the year I got glasses. My mom said they looked fine, but every single day, Hide got the entire class to start laughing at me. We were playing soccer in PE at the time, and I was the goal keeper. Hide stole my glasses everyday so I couldn't save any goals from getting into the net. Every day after PE, my team threw all the soccer balls at me in the locker rooms because I couldn't save any goals. And Hide was obviously in the back laughing. It wasn't long before he broke my glasses on purpose either."

"So that's your story?"

"Yeah."

"So that's why no one knows you have glasses except you're brother?"

"Yes, Korra." Mako was fully embarrassed. The childishness of the story alone made him want to crawl into his room and never see the sun again.

"Well, Hide is a dumbass."

"Huh?"

"I have to say, you look pretty awesome in those glasses, Mako." His fading blush turned bright red again, his heart speeding up again.

"Thanks, Korra." He nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

"Any time, goalkeeper." Korra said, lightly punching his forearm, walking back towards the kitchen.

* * *

**A/N: It's been like a week since I've updated, I know. I've been in the process of moving and my sister is a computer hog, but now all my stuff is here and I've moved and everything! I started writing this chapter in an airport waiting for my flight, so excuse any and all typos you see here! **


	6. Tears

Korra tiredly scratched her wet hair and yawned. She searched for her bag around her apartment, but not before realizing that Mako wasn't at his window. Every morning, Mako waited for her to tell her good morning. They always walked to work together, but today, none of that happened.

She climbed down from her apartment complex and made her way into Mako's apartment. She stepped onto a mess of carpet and looked around. Nothing was tidy. It was unusual for Mako to have a messy house. He always kept his place clean, and sometimes, he even cleaned Korra's place for her. Something had to be wrong.

"Mako?" Korra called out into the empty space. She looked everywhere for him, but to no avail. Her stomach lurched and she frantically moved about the house, calling his name even louder. Her eyes began to well up with tears, and with her blurry eyes, she opened the door at the end of the hallway. She found Mako in a heap behind his messy bed.

"Mako? Mako! Are you okay?" She was relieved to see him, but the worry came right back after she saw him wipe his eyes of the drying tears on his face. He stared at her and she saw the water beginning to well up again. He held back the sob threatening to escape from his throat.

"I'm fine." He whispered, barely audible.

"Mako, you've been crying. You can tell me, you know." Korra offered. He shook his head. She stared with worry as the tears in his eyes began to spill over.

"What happened?"

"It's my parents." He choked out. Korra's mind automatically clicked.

"I'm so sorry, Mako." She placed her hand on his shoulder and he began to cry, sobbing messily, letting out the mass of sorrow filled inside him. She wrapped him into an embrace and let him cry on her shoulder. He let himself fall limp on Korra's shoulder. He was so used to just brushing the day off with just a quick tear in the morning, but today was different. Ever since Korra came into his life, the shell around his heart allowed him to feel emotions in a more expressive way. He felt like a robot before, never showing emotion. He shocked himself at the bottled up pain he left inside his locked up heart. The raw sorrow he never visited after his parents died finally came back to the surface, and he was ready to let it all out.

Mako wiped his eyes and began to gather himself together.

"I'm sorry, Korra, I just-"

"It's okay to cry, Mako. Even I do it."

"But what about work?"

"I'll take care of it tomorrow. Stay here. You need to." Korra began to stand up. He pulled her back to sit down.

"Don't go." Mako bursted out. "I-I want you to stay here."

"I wasn't going anywhere." Korra pulled him up and into the living room. She sat down on the couch with him. "Do you want to explain, or should I just sit here and continue to let you cry?"

"I honestly don't even know what to do." Mako said. "This is the first time I've cried about my parents since they died. Every year after that, I never cried so my brother could. It's all being let out today."

"Well, you can talk if you want, I mean, I'm here for the whole day if you want me to stay."

"I'll be fine, Korra."

"We're friends, Mako. That's what I'm supposed to do."

"I know, but I just-"

"What?"

"I've never had an actual friend besides my brother. You're pretty much my first real friend. It feels weird, in a good way."

"I could pretty much say the same thing about you. I've had my family, but I'm an only child, so all I had to do was martial arts."

"My parents were pretty good at keeping me company too though. My dad always played records for me."

"Do you still have them?"

"Yeah. I guess I'll have to play them for you sometime."

"What was your mom like?"

"Well, first off, she was Japanese. My dad was from Hong Kong and they met in college."

"Is that where you get your first name from?"

"Yeah. My mom was an amazing cook. She used to make me dumplings every time there was something that went wrong in my day, and then we'd make fun of the entire situation while having tea. It was great. That recipe for dumplings I showed you the other day was my mom's." Mako reminisced. "Then there was this day, twelve years ago..."

"Do you want to keep talking about it or-"

"I'll keep going." Korra nodded for him to continue. "Well, one day, the family went out to dinner, just like we always used to on Sunday nights. Then, some random guy just came and shot my parents down, right in front of me, when I was eight. Bolin was using the restroom. When he came out, I just couldn't-" Mako choked up again.

"That must be awful." Korra said, rubbing circles on his back. Korra winced and watched in sadness as Mako lapsed back into his frantic sobbing again. He felt the raw pain coming back to him, shocking his heart again with the foreign feeling. He could tell this would be a long day.

* * *

"Mako, eat something, please." Korra pleaded over the table. "I cooked all these dumplings, just for you."

"I'm fine." He said, looking through the window. He had cried enough times already that day, and he didn't think his eyes or his lungs could take it anymore.

"You need to eat something, Mako."

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten anything today. How can you not be hungry?" Korra was correct. Mako felt his stomach grumble. He looked up at her.

"Fine." He turned to face her at the small table. She slid a few of the dumplings to his plate, and she smiled.

"I learned how to use chopsticks correctly. Just for you, and I also made your favorite tea." Korra's smile faded as his tears welled up with tears again. Her face completely fell as she watched the drop of water fall to the table. She reached across and held his hand. "You don't have to eat now if you don't want. I was just trying to copy you, Mama Mako."

Mako smiled through his tears and wiped his eyes. Korra had a way of making even the darkest of situations feel better. She could even find a bright side in going to hell.

"I honestly don't like seeing you cry, Mako." Korra began to explain. "Even though you're pretty cool in emotion, you're really someone I can't imagine being sad."

"But I've been sad for all this time."

"What do you mean?" The layers on Mako's heart flew away with each expression he showed.

"For twelve years, no one has seen the real me. I've always been this melancholy, sad guy for the longest time. It's still here today. But then I met you, and all of that changed." Korra felt her face warm.

"Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me? I just got my tears all over your shirt and you missed work because of me."

"Well, you're my first best friend. No one else has really gotten to know me except my parents." Korra looked at the ground. "I like it, you know. Having someone to talk to for once."

"Hmm." Mako's eyes welled up again and Korra looked confused.

"You're crying again?"

"It's not because I'm sad, though." Mako chuckled through his tears. "I'm happy I finally found a friend. Thank you, Korra."

Korra's throat tightened, but she held back the tears that threatened to show themselves. She ran around the table and squeezed Mako in a hug as tight as she could. Mako hugged her as well, breaking through more and more of the shells that surrounded his heart. Slowly but surely, his heart became free, even though it would be a long time until he would be completely liberated from the shackles he placed on his heart.

* * *

**A/N: I know, this chapter was a little serious, but it's still pretty sweet. I hope I didn't jerk too many tears here.**

**And yes, it takes a real man to cry. If you're a guy and you cry, consider yourself a real man.**

**Thank you all for reading, and all your reviews keep me going like a well oiled engine! Thank you so much for reading my story and taking the time to review!**


	7. Cheek to Cheek

Mako stared across the expanse of his apartment, not knowing where he was for a split second. He slipped on his glasses and looked down at the mass of black hair on his shoulder.

"_Korra." _He thought. After Korra spent the entire day at Mako's apartment yesterday, they both fell asleep on his couch, reminiscing about their parents and the days of their childhood. He watched as Korra's head slowly bobbed up and down on his chest, and her middle length hair flowing just past her shoulders. He looked as she continued to sleep peacefully. Out of her wild and joyful disposition, there was an inner peace within her.

Korra slowly wakened to mellow swing music playing in the living room. She rubbed her eyes, confused as to where she was.

"_Where am I?" _She looked around at the familiar room. She looked at the nightstand next to her and spotted Mako's red scarf. She nodded in understanding and jumped out of the bed, looking for the source of the music.

Korra walked down the hallway and walked closer and closer to the sound until she reached Mako's living room, where he paced the floor, spinning and snapping to the low bass. Korra laughed, startling him out of the musical trance he was in.

"Good morning, Korra." Mako greeted, his face turning red.

"Hey, Mako." Korra plopped down on the couch. "What's that you're listening to?"

"It's swing music." Mako replied, sitting down next to Korra.

"Are these your dad's records?"

"Yeah. Besides the scarf, this is one of the last things I have left of my parents. After dinner, almost every night, my mom and dad would play swing music and dance. My dad taught me how to swing dance not to long before he was gone."

"That's so cool! Show me something!"

"Show you what?"

"What swing dancing looks like!"

"Swing is a partner dance."

"A partner dance?"

"Yeah, with two people. If I wanted to show you, you'd have to come dance with me."

"I'd rather watch. I have two left feet."

"Swing isn't that hard, Korra. It's actually quite simple."

"Nah…Just dress up that broom you have in the kitchen and put a paper plate face on it with a smiley face! It makes a great dance partner!" Mako laughed and Korra did as well.

"Come on, Korra. Just try it."

"I'm gonna step all over your toes!"

"Please? You're the one who wanted me to show you something in swing dance."

"Fine. But don't say I didn't tell you so when all your toes are broken."

"You're not that heavy, you know."

"Let's just get this over with." Korra stood in front of Mako in the open space of the living room. She blushed as Mako changed the music and made his way back over to her. Her heart pounded as he took her hands and began to explain about the dance. Korra's eyes darted around to room in an attempt to avoid eye contact with him.

"Korra, did you hear me?" Mako asked, breaking her concentration. She looked up into his amber eyes that set her heart ablaze every time her eyes managed to catch them.

"What?" Korra felt the heat rise to her face.

"I said, after I hold your hands like this, ladies go left, right, then rock step, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got it."

"Are you okay, Korra?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mako." Korra replied. "It's just the morning, that's all."

"Okay, are you ready to try it?"

"Yeah, but could you go over the rock step thing again?"

"Yeah. It's like this." Mako explained.

"Okay, thanks."

"Ready?"

"Yeah." Korra's heart jumped once more when Mako took her hands again after changing the music. Mako began to sway back and forth, pulling back with the rock step. Korra fumbled around with the music, still not knowing what to do.

"Just relax and forget about it, Korra."

"Right, right. I just—Sorry!" Korra stepped on his feet, making her face turn an even deeper shade of crimson.

"Again, just go with it." Mako encouraged. Korra threw her head back with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm never going to get this Mako."

After trial and tribulation, Mako and Korra were successfully swing dancing in the open space of his living room, twirling, jumping, and even flipping around the free area. Just as Korra had given up on the dance, she managed to get it, just like the first time a child learns to ride a bike.

"That was amazing, Mako!" Korra said, after finishing the song.

"I told you it wasn't that hard. All you have to do is just go with it."

"Let's dance some more!"

"Aren't you tired of dancing?"

"Nope!" Korra pulled Mako back to the free space on the floor, continuing to dance with him. As the song ended, a slow melody started to play. Korra froze as Mako's eyes darted to the player.

"You want me to teach you something else about swing?"

"S-Sure." Korra stuttered.

"Well, we learned open position before, but for slow dances, there's closed position."

"What's that?" Korra's face became red once again when Mako pulled her closer, similar to a waltzing stance.

"This is closed position." Mako said, starting to sway to the music. "And now you do the side, side, rock step, but just slower to the music."

"Alright." Korra answered. Mako's eyes met the floor before meeting Korra's again.

"You could also dance cheek to cheek if you wanted to."

"What's that?"

"Well-It's kind of like—" Mako stammered in front of her, still swaying along to the music.

"Just show me." Korra said. Mako nodded and leaned forward, nuzzling his cheek against her own, Korra's eyes widening and the pit in her stomach becoming deeper and deeper.

The two continued to dance, cheek to cheek. The hairs on Mako's neck stood up with each shrill breath she breathed onto his skin. Korra's face became hot with each second that passed by. As much as she wanted to break free from the tension building up, she couldn't deny that she loved being in Mako's arms, and Mako couldn't deny that he loved holding Korra that close to him, even if they were just dancing.

As the song drew to a close, Mako paused in his tracks, still holding Korra close to him. Having her so close was all it took to continue to crack through the layers remaining over his heart.

* * *

A/N: Hope you all liked that little bit there. The songs I was listening to while writing this were 'Hittin' on all Sixes' and 'Lost My Heart in Republic City'. It's part of the Legend of Korra soundtrack, so youtube it and listen while you read if you'd like!

I have my internet at my house up and ready now, so I guess I'll be updating more often now. I have a little stock pile of stories written from my time waiting for the internet people to hook up our stuff, so if I get a lot of reviews after this chapter, I think I may update again later today...

Thank you for reading!

PS: If you haven't tried swing dancing before, I beg of you to try it! It's so fun! And dancing cheek to cheek is done in ballroom dances as such during slower songs, so there's a little swing dance tip for you!


	8. Life Rings

Mako and Korra sat sprawled out on the floor of Korra's apartment, picking through their boxes of various toys, video games, pictures, clothes and accessories, lost school items, and trinkets from their childhoods. Both of them had a bag of their favorite candies from their young years by them. For Korra, they were Blue Raspberry Blow Pops, and Mako had red cinnamon jawbreakers, but the both of them had a special weakness for Hot Tamales, so they shared the box between them.

"Wow. Twenty four years already." Korra said. "I feel old looking at all this stuff."

"Hey, I'll have already blown through a quarter of my lifetime by the end of this year. You're not that old." Mako replied, throwing another candy wrapper on the floor.

"So you're saying you're going to live until you're 100?" Korra looked down at her blue tongue, earning her an amused look from Mako.

"I hope so. It'd be cool to count your life in quarters like that."

"Only you would do that, Mako." Korra laughed, catching a laugh from him as well.

"Twenty four isn't old, you know. It just means you have 26 years until you're fifty…then you're old." Korra erupted into laughter, almost dropping the lollipop from her mouth.

"That's one I need to tell my mom and dad." Korra replied. As she stopped laughing, she picked up a picture of her young self, messily blowing out a single candle that was shaped like a four. "This is probably the best way I've spent my birthday in a long time."

"What birthday was the best, then?" Mako asked.

"Probably when I was six years old and I had the pack of ninety six crayons from Crayola. You were deemed worthy of ultimate coolness if you had those."

"Damn. I had the sixty four pack, but I guess you were still kind of cool." Korra rummaged through her box to unveil a ragged box of crayons.

"Still got 'em." Korra smirked. She looked inside at the worn out and rounded waxes that once used to be shiny.

"You still have yours?" Mako asked. "All I found left of mine was the maroon crayon I always wrote my name with."

"Maroon, huh? I always liked writing with the Robin's egg blue color." She fetched the crayon from it's position and made a mark on the side of the box. "Still like old times."

"Hey look, it's that old pair of glasses I told you about." Mako said. "These are my first pair that I ever wore." Korra looked back and forth between the glasses on his face and the glasses in his hand.

"That kid Hide is still stupid."

"I know. He was there all through middle school, then he turned into a delinquent."

"See, those kids always turn out that way. I'm a special exception though."

"You were a bully in elementary school?"

"Not exactly. I just got framed as one. You see, I was a really rough and tumble kid, so if you messed with me, then, yeah, I'd come knock some sense into you. It wasn't until I got my first detention that the teachers started labeling me as a bully."

"I can imagine how that went." Mako replied.

"Here are the notes I drew when I got bored." Mako took the crumpled paper and smoothed it out, reading the sloppily written text with doodles of an odd looking man in the margins.

"Who's this guy?" Mako asked.

"He's the detention teacher. There was one week where I met him almost every day after school for detention. I was one of the 'regulars' for detention by the time I was in fifth grade."

"You really were a wild child." Mako said, handing back the paper. Korra began to shovel through more of the items in the box in front of her until she pulled out a console.

"It's my Playstation! I remember when everyone had either a Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, or one of these!" Mako dumped a bag filled with small cartridges on the floor. A single Gameboy color dropped on top of them, making Korra look at the various games and the small game device. "Now that's what I call a throwback."

"Did you have one?" Mako asked.

"I saved all my money for a Gameboy advance when it first came out, and everyone was getting one, so I finally bought one, but my dog chewed it up. I got a Playstation later, but didn't let any of the kids from school come over to play."

"You must have been public enemy number one for doing that." Mako said. "I didn't tell anyone about my Gameboy, so every day at school, I ate lunch inside the bathrooms and played Zelda until the bell rang for recess. I met my brother outside for recess, since we had lunch in separate dining halls."

"Recess was the best thing ever." Korra beamed. "I was the champion at four square and dodgeball. No one liked it when I wasn't on their team in PE."

"Where I went to school, everything was about tetherball." Mako replied. "Recess was like the practice time, and the better you were, the more time you got during recess to practice. I always just stood there and gave people tips on how to win. We had this tournament every year around the first weekend of spring, and this kid Tahno always won by cheating. Every kid had to put in one week's worth of lunch money for the tournament, and I entered the last year of elementary school."

"You did?"

"Yep. And I won."

"Did you just cheat Tahno back instead?"

"I was a better tetherball player than he was. I bought all the hot tamales and cinnamon jawbreakers I wanted with all that money I got."

"You were cool after that, right?"

"For only a day. Even Hide gave me props for it. Then everything went back to normal."

"We weren't even allowed to have competitions on the field at my school. The teachers were even bigger weenies than the kids were." Mako laughed as Korra continued to reminisce.

The way Korra laughed was just so amusing to Mako. He couldn't help but laugh along with her no matter what they were laughing at. Her smile right down to the way she talked was infectious to him, and every time he saw her, he couldn't contain the smile inside him.

"Was that your first baby picture, Mako?" Korra asked.

"Yeah. That was right after my mom came home from the hospital, and all of my family was there to see me, even my distant relatives were there that day."

"Up where I lived, it was just everyone on the compound, until we moved to Iqaluit, where the rest of my family lives. You looked so cute in that picture. I look like a frozen child locked inside a parka." Korra pulled out the framed picture of her mother holding her and her father standing beside, looking out onto the frozen landscape.

"You look fine, Korra. You look like a mini Eskimo." Mako laughed before garnering a punch on his arm.

"Nice one, cool guy."

"I think I found a nickname for you that sticks."

"What is it?"

"Eskimo."

"Please don't tell me you're serious."

"I'm serious, Korra."

"Fine, you win this time." Korra sat down beside Mako, eating another blow pop. She picked up a small toy close by her feet.

"There was always that time of year when I would find these little things in my cereal boxes. I hated those so much when I was a kid."

"Bolin loved these things. I had no idea how they worked, and I still don't even know." As she looked at more items in Mako's box, she stopped when she came across a certain item.

"You have it." Korra said, entranced by the CD.

"What?"

"Sheep Raider. I had this game when I got my Playstation, then I lost it in my room, and even when I moved out, I still couldn't find it!"

"I got that free when I went to the video game shop to get a new game for my Gameboy. I had no idea what that was until now."

"I'll have to teach you how to play it sometime soon. This game is pretty epic. I lost the CD when I was on the final level."

"See, when you lose your stuff, it's always at the most inconvenient time."

"And I made plenty of bets that I would finish the game over the weekend, so I had to do everyone's homework for a week." Mako laughed at the incident, remembering other stupid childhood bets he used to make.

"I was too afraid to make bets. I was also a pushover in preschool."

"No one ever pushed Korra over. You used to be a hard ass when I first met you."

"I know. There was this girl in class who always borrowed by pencil every single day and never gave it back. By the end of the year, I found every single pencil I lent to her inside her desk."

"I would always lose my pencils inside my desk. It was a pig sty. Every month, we had to clean our desks and mine was always the messiest. The entire class had to help me clean my desk once because it was so messy."

"I always had a messy room, I guess, instead of a messy desk. It was all deliberately messed up because that's where everything was supposed to go."

"Same here. Then mom would come to clean everything up and you didn't know where anything was anymore."

"As much as you explained, she would never understand. I thought this thing right here when my mom decided to clean up my room once." Mako picked up ragged stuffed dragon at the bottom of the box. "I've had this since I was two."

"Aww. What'd you name him?"

"Mako the second. This guy has seen everything, heard everything and knows everything about me."

"I had a little buddy." Korra reached for a small picture in her box. "Her name was Naga. She was my dog, but she died a while ago."

"That's always rough."

"I'm fine, honestly, but I just miss her lots sometimes." Korra looked at the picture of her massive dog that quite resembled a polar bear. She fondly placed the picture back in the box before reaching for her final lollipop.

"These Blow Pops were always the flavor that no one could get a hold of."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There was a special gas station around that had them and only my dad knew that, so every Friday when he came home from work, he would always have one for me."

"That's what I used to do for Bolin after our parents died. Every day after school, I got him green peppermints to keep him happy."

"You must have been an awesome brother." Mako paused for a moment, not knowing how to reply to her compliment. Out of the many years he had to take care of Bolin, not one person other than Bolin had told him that he was a great brother.

"Thank you, Korra." The two sat there in silence, still eating their candies and thinking about the good times they had before having to grow up.

They continued to look at each and every knick knack in their boxes, cherishing the childhood memories that came with each one. Korra and Mako looked at each other's things, laughing at their pictures, facepalming at their stupidities, and wanting to relive the moments again.

"I actually got you something." Mako said, searching his pockets for the item in question.

"You shouldn't have, Mako. I told you that you didn't have to get me anything."

"I know, but I'm sure you'll like it." Korra took the small box he held out to her. She opened it to find a ring made out of several wires forming to make a '24' in the center of the ring.

"Wow. Thank you, Mako." Korra beamed as she admired the ring on her finger. "Where did you find this?"

"I made it. It's a life ring."

"A life ring?"

"My dad made one for me every year for my birthday. He told me that trees have rings to mark each year of life, and he made me a ring each year to mark each year of my life."

"You didn't have to, Mako."

"I know, but I you're the only one I'd do it for."

* * *

**A/N: I recommend reading this story while listening to Sunny Days by Joshua Radin. **

** watch?v=pw7UUUnCPio**

**I listened to this song as I wrote this chapter on repeat/loop because I just love this song. It's the Sesame Street theme song, but in a different key. I immediately thought of this chapter in the middle of listening to it for about the fourth time through. I added some things about childhoods that everyone knows about, so hopefully you find something you enjoyed in your childhood!**

**Thank you all for reviewing. The few reviews I get per chapter really do keep motivating me and they make my day every time I notice a new one!**


	9. 20 Questions

Korra and Mako waved from their respective windowsills, both heading off to work. Mako saw her wane smile and narrowed his eyes. Korra noticed forced a bigger smile in order to please him, but to no avail. They began to walk together, with Korra's unenthusiastic demeanor still bugging Mako.

"Are you okay, Korra?" Mako asked. "You seem a little out of it today. Why don't you let me take over class later on?"

"I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night." Korra replied, passing through the gigantic doors into their workplace.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm positive. Tomorrow I'll be better, I promise." Korra flung her bag to the side and began to warm up at a punching bag. Mako continued to watch her effortlessly punch the bag in front of her. The power she normally had while fighting lacked, and Mako couldn't help but notice her obvious lack of her regular personality.

"Are you honestly sure you're fine, Korra?"

"Yeah. There's nothing wrong with me." She replied harshly. She grabbed her bag sauntered off the locker rooms, leaving Mako behind to watch as she shoved the door open.

Korra rummaged through her bag for her phone and pulled a calling card from her wallet. She dialed the several numbers on the back to try and keep her mind from wandering back to the worried man she left behind in the gym.

"You have: Zero dollars and zero cents. Please enter the pin number for a new card to continue your long distance call." Korra frowned and zoomed to the other cards she had stashed inside her bag. They were all void of their credit, and Korra tossed them into the trash can near her. She buried her head in her hands, hitting her head against the locker behind her.

* * *

"Does this city ever sleep, Mako?" Korra asked, looking towards the window from Mako's couch. Sitting next to her, he observed the sky, streaking red from the sunset and the street lights beginning to turn on.

"No, not really. Even during blackouts the city is still buzzing." Mako said. "You'll get used to it."

"You've gotta be kidding me. No wide open spaces either?"

"There are wide open spaces here, you know."

"I doubt that, Mako. As far as I can look, all I can see are buildings." Korra slumped on the window. "I can't even see the sunset, right now."

"Are you homesick, Korra?"

"...Yes."

"What is there here that reminds you of Nunavut?"

"Nothing."

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"There has to be at least one thing, Korra."

"Nope."

"I know you're just being difficult."

"..." Korra struggled to hide the smile forming on her face. Mako caught a glimpse of Korra and immediately snapped his face to her.

"Korra, there's something reminding you of Nunavut, and you're going to tell me."

"Nope."

"Korra." She shook her head, and Mako finally gave in. "Fine. Then we're playing 20 questions."

"20 questions? You're still never going to find out."

"Question one." Korra rolled her eyes and Mako laughed. "Is this thing living or non living?"

"Living."

"Question three, Is this thing tall or short?"

"Compared to my size...it's a giant."

"Really?"

"Yes. It towers over me like a skyscraper."

"Question four, Does this thing make noise?" Korra punched Mako in the arm, causing him to chuckle and rub his arm.

"What kinds of questions are these?"

"They're legitimate questions, so you have to answer them!"

"Fine, it makes noise."

"Question five, is it quiet or loud?"

"On the quiet side."

"Six, Does it breathe?"

"What do you mean 'does it breathe'? Don't all living things respire?"

"No. Explain plants."

"Photosynthesis!"

"Photosynthesis is the process of making energy for a plant to survive, Korra."

"Fine, then yes, it breathes."

"Question seven, is this thing inside or outside this apartment?"

"Inside."

"Eight, What does this thing look like?"

"For starters, it's very tall, has black hair, wears his dad's red scarf everywhere, cooks like a boss, listens to swing music, and his first name starts with an 'M', has the letters 'A' and 'K' in the middle, and it ends with 'O'."

"Mako, huh?" He rested his head in the palm of his hand and smiled. Korra's face turned a deep red as she fumbled around with her hands.

"Yes, it's you, Mako." Korra admitted, slumping farther into the couch. He raised an eyebrow as Korra partially buried her face in a pillow.

"Really?" Korra revealed her reddened face from the pillow encasing it.

"Yeah. You're so calm and quiet all the time...well, most of the time, at least. It's like the tundra. It's always quiet, calm, and balanced."

"Hmm."

Korra turned to face Mako and met his gaze. As she searched his eyes she almost didn't recognize them anymore. The past pain of his was fading away, with little traces and remnants still left.

_"There it is again. Love."_ Korra thought. Ever since she had come to know Mako on a close basis, she felt something more for him, bigger than anything in the world. It accumulated inside her, seeking a pathway outside, but Korra kept it contained. It was ginormous, and it scared Korra, making her feel vulnerable and weak. She pushed the feeling down farther and farther, not knowing that the small feelings of love she had towards Mako began to accumulate in a mass inside of her heart.

"You know, you still have twelve more questions to answer."

"I do?" Korra was flung out of her small trance and back into the open world.

"Yeah."

"Oh..I-uh...I just remembered that I have laundry to finish." Korra lied.

"I'll come help you then." Mako began to rise from

"It's not that much. I'll just finish it myself."

"Are you sure? Last time I found you sleeping inside the laundry basket." Korra blushed as she scratched her head.

"Positive!" Korra quickly walked toward the window, swinging her legs over the side. "I'll see you tomorrow!" Mako waved to her as she descended from the apartment. Once she reached her familiar place, she took a breath of relief. Every time she was around Mako, something happened that made her heart swell with the unknown feeling that scared her.

But one day, she wouldn't be afraid anymore.

* * *

**A/N: **

**I. AM. SO. SORRY. THAT I DIDN'T UPDATE SOONER! D: **

**I've been writing future chapters for the story, so when we get to that time frame, you will be getting some more frequent updates, I guess. I honestly don't know why I wrote these future chapters, but I did. I guess I didn't want to forget because these chapters that I wrote are pretty crucial to the plot. **

**I'm just gonna throw this out there: This story doesn't really have much external conflict. It's all internal and between Korra and Mako, just so you know.**

**Again, I'm sorry for my negligence to the chapter I was supposed to update. About halfway through, I got this major story plot bunny, and I wrote a bunch of future chapters, so look ahead to the future!**

**Thank you all for reading! Your reviews are so nice!**


	10. Tangled

"Korra..." Mako shook his head as he observed Korra trying to untangle the mess that was her hair.

"What?" Korra looked at him, eyes wide with expression. She stood, frozen with the comb stuck in her tangled brown locks. She gave one more tug before wincing.

"That's not how you untangle hair."

"You're the one who told me to do this in the first place! I don't even know why I'm still standing here!"

"Well if you want you hair to remain the mass of a mess it is, then suit yourself."

"I can untangle my hair, thank you very much." Korra held fast onto her comb while turning around to make a face at Mako.

"Really? 'Cause it's been thirty five minutes."

"Says you! I've been in here for like...ten minutes!" Korra lied. She knew well that she was going to be at this for over an hour.

"Look at the clock, Korra." She craned her neck into Mako's bedroom before passing another glare his way. She sauntered back into the large bathroom and continued to tug at her hair.

"I'm almost done, though."

"No you're not, Korra."

"Yes I am! I just have this section to do and I'm finished!"

"Judging by the way you're trying to get that comb out of your hair, you aren't even close to finished."

"I'm having no problem at all getting this thing out of my hair, you know."

"Then pull it out."

"What?"

"Pull the comb out of your hair." Korra pursed her lips and weighed her options.

_"Keep on trying pulling the comb out, or fess up and face embarrassment? Keep on trying." _Korra violently pulled at the comb that seemed to have a vice grip on her hair. She forced the comb forward, causing her head to collide with the door.

"Shut up, Mako!" Korra yelled to the laughing man as she recovered. Mako continued to hold his gut as Korra stood there childishly, the comb still hanging from her hair. She stood there, unsure of what to do as Mako continued to guffaw every time he looked up at her.

"Oh, come on! You know you'd be doing the same thing if my hair had a comb stuck in it!"

"You have short hair anyway! What would you be doing with long hair in the first place!"

"Jesus had long hair, didn't he?"

"That doesn't count." Korra returned to trying to pull the comb out of her hair.

"Plenty of guys have long hair! Besides, you'd be sitting here antagonizing me on how I was combing my hair anyway." Korra crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Mako. "Korra, you and I both know that I can't take your glare seriously with your hair like that."

"I know. I'm just taking my chances here."

"And you're taking your chances at getting your hair lopped off."

"Thank you, Mama Mako, for pointing that out."

"How am I being Mama Mako this time?"

"It's like the first time a child wants to do their hair by themselves! The mother sits around and antagonizes on how wrong they're doing it!"

"Maybe that's it for females, but-"

"Which is exactly what you're doing right now!"

"Am I annoying you, by any chance, Korra?"

"Yes, Mako, you are. I have a comb stuck in my hair, and you're here making witty comments on how bad my hair is!"

"Well, I learned from the best." Korra cocked her head to the side and looked at Mako who began to snicker in amusement. She huffed in contemplation before crossing the room and picking up a pillow. She took one last look before crashing the pillow down on his head, causing his laughter to stop.

"What was that for?"

"You know that didn't hurt."

"Yeah, but a head shot? Really?"

"You deserved it!"

"Let me see your hair."

"No!" Korra drew back, covering her head with her hands. She jumped across the bed, tripping over Mako's long legs. He scrambled to the side of the bed where Korra sat, arms crossed.

"Go ahead."

"And do what?"

"Laugh! You know you want to, anyway." Korra's face formed into a pout and Mako began to pick at her hair. Observing the knots and twists that formed into the mass of tangled hair. She contemplated just sucking up her pride and letting Mako fix the knot that was her hair, but she was determined to stay independent.

"This isn't a one man job, Korra."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Watch me." Korra grabbed the handle of her comb and pulled as hard as she could, earning herself a smack on the face from the end of the comb as it whipped back to the original position.

"It's not working Korra."

"I know." Korra sucked in her cheeks before letting out a breath of frustration. "Will you help me with my hair?"

"Sure, Korra." She sighed in annoyance as she felt Mako's fingers poke at her head.

"So now you're just gonna poke at it?"

"No. This is just really bad, Korra. I'm trying to untangle your hair."

"Oh. Well, how bad is it?"

"Bad. I might just have to cut off all your hair."

"Now you're just being mean."

"I know."

* * *

"OW!" Korra squirmed as Mako tugged against her now wet hair.

"Wait! I think the comb is coming out!" Mako took the smaller rat tail comb beside him and continued to pick at the strands of hair that held fast to the comb. Korra winced as her hairs were slowly becoming unraveled from their trap. Mako pulled one last time, and the force from his hand sent the comb flying backwards.

"I'm free!" Mako put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her toward the ground.

"Your hair is still a tangled mess."

"Dammit." Mako laughed before working on Korra's hair again, working in small sections to unravel the tight knots.

"It's your fault anyway."

"I know."

"Bolin always used to get his hair tangled. I don't even know how."

"So that's why you're so pro at this...and everything else a mother should do."

"Yep."

"So can I call you Mama Mako from now on?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"My name isn't 'Mama'. I prefer just the Mako." He slowly ran his fingers through the now softened part of her hair, almost entrancing him before Korra spoke again.

"Then what else should I call you?"

"I think you have plenty of nicknames for me, Korra."

"Fine." Korra looked down before realizing that the person she was so in love with that she scared herself was untangling her hair, running his fingers through it slowly, and lightly brushing his fingers against her neck every time he gathered more of her locks to untangle. She was grateful that Mako was sitting behind her so he couldn't see the furious blush that managed to creep onto her cheeks.

"You know, this is kind of weird. You're doing my hair."

"I know."

"That's a bit feminine, don't you think?"

"Mmmhmm."

"So that justifies me calling you-"

"No." Korra frowned and sat back in her seat, impatiently waiting for her hair to be freed from its doom.

As Mako began to finish combing through the tangles of her hair, he took his time to smooth out all of the wavy hairs that fell around Korra's face.

"Are you finished?" Korra asked, feeling no more tugs on her hair.

"Yeah." Mako said, disappointed. He lingered on the last lock before letting it fall down to Korra's back. She looked at herself in the mirror and nodded in approval.

"Nice job."

"Why do you always need someone to take care of you, Korra?" Mako smiled lightly before exiting his bathroom. Her heart jumped at the question. She most surely didn't need anyone to take care of her. She could fend for herself, right?

"I don't need anyone to take care of me!"

"Yes you do, Korra. Everyone does."

"That's not true." Korra hastily jumped down from the stool and headed out toward the living room. Mako followed close behind her, watching as she sat down on his couch.

"Are you kidding me? Yes, it is true! Especially for you!"

"I can take care of myself!"

"Yeah, but you can't do it alone."

"Oh please!" Korra rolled her eyes, but once Mako was out of her peripheral vision, she glanced down at her hands and swallowed the lump in her throat.

_"I don't need a caretaker. Especially not Mako, I'm fine."_ Korra thought. She shook her head and tried to distract herself, looking at different objects across the room. As much as she denied it, Mako really did take care of her. He didn't just watch her back, he was almost like a guardian to her, offering up anything at the time she needed it. His motherliness didn't just come with his demeanor. He only showed his affections for people he truly loved. She swallowed and tried to push down the feeling once more, but to no avail. Mako plopped down beside her on the couch and she immediately tensed up, feeling more awkward and nervous than ever.

"Why don't you let people take care of you, Korra?"

"Because...I-I can do it myself!"

"But don't you want someone to? Someone to love you enough that they just take care of you?" Korra's heart raced yet again once Mako said 'love'. It made her want to jump out of her skin and just hide.

"I don't know."

* * *

**A/N: This was actually supposed to be the chapter before 'Hearts'. I wanted 'Hearts' to be chapter 11, but I messed up and uploaded the wrong chapter! Sorry! Hearts is now uploaded as chapter 11!**

**And I'm sorry I took a long time again! I've been busy outside of writing with my new house and getting registered for school. Starting next Wednesday, the Olympic football tournament starts, and I'm VERY attached to the sport, so updating may be slow during that time. I just can't miss this because Senegal may have a chance in this. I'm African, so Gabon and Senegal fly the flag for my continent. I would love to see them win, and Cameroon and South African in the women's tournament are also my picks, and so is Japan! I love Homare Sawa, and she's my favorite female player! **

**Sorry about that tangent. I just love the game a lot, and if there are any of you who love the game as much as I do, feel free to pm me and talk about your favorite teams and stuff! I looooove football so much!**

**But I guess this is kind of a make up, since you get two chapters. **

**A lot of people have been asking me if Bolin will ever show up in this story. My answer is: Not Likely. He is mentioned, and he is known to be his brother, but I doubt he will be making an appearance. I have another story in which he will be featured (this story is going to come after this one is finished). **

**I am going to try and finish this up, because I'm almost positive you all will like this new story and I don't want to leave it lingering in my head too long because I may forget it! **

**Thank you all for reading and leaving reviews! My email is chock full with reviews and messages from you guys! Thanks!****  
**

**Sorry about this long author's note as well! There were just quite a few things I needed to tell you all! **


	11. Hearts

**A/N: Here's our next chapter. I was debating between myself if I wanted to stall this chapter a bit more or just go ahead and do it...so I did it!**

_**Heads up, this chapter comes after chapter 10, which is called Tangled. This is now chapter 11. **_

_**Sorry for the confusion! I uploaded the wrong chapter as number 10, and didn't realize it until all these reviews were in my email inbox! **_

* * *

"Hey, Korra, are you busy today?" Mako asked, climbing into the apartment.

"No. Why?" Korra asked, flipping through the channels on her TV.

"I have something to show you." Mako picked her up from the couch and pulled her toward the window.

"Where are you taking me?" Korra quickly switched off the television and followed him.

"It doesn't matter, just come on!" Mako quickly bounded out and down the side of the building, Korra struggling after him. She stumbled a bit on the ground and Mako picked her up.

"What is going on, Mako?"

"You'll see in a bit, just trust me, okay?" Mako asked. "I promise, you'll love it!"

"Fine." Mako lead Korra to a taxi, and they both sat inside, Mako giving an address to the driver.

"Give me an idea of where we're going."

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a surprise." Korra huffed and sat back in her seat, waiting for their ride to be over.

"Hey, we're here, Korra."

"We are? Thank goodness!" Mako lightly clasped his hands over her eyes after they exited the car. "What's going on?"

"You know how you were homesick last week?" Mako asked, walking slowly. The fluttering pit in Korra's stomach grew stronger with each brush of Mako's skin on her own. "And you said you missed the wide open spaces like there were up in Nunavut?"

"Yeah…"

"Well…Here's your surprise." Mako removed his hands from her eyes.

"Mako….This is…" Korra gasped at the green field all around her. "Amazing."

"I told you to trust me." Mako blushed when he was hit with Korra's tight embrace.

"Thank you so much, Mako." Korra let herself fall onto the soft and overgrown grass on the field, Mako sitting beside her. "I didn't know Hong Kong had fields like this."

"Within every city there's green grass and a blue sky."

"Is that something your parents used to tell you?"

"Yeah. I felt the same way about Hong Kong as you when I was younger."

"You did?"

"Yep. It always annoyed me how I could never just run around. Then my dad brought me to this exact place where I could just be."

"That's amazing, Mako." Korra looked up at the sky. "And the sky is extremely blue."

"Is that your favorite color?"

"Yeah. I can't believe that after all this time that we've known each other, and all the secrets we've shared, we don't even know our favorite colors. What's yours?"

"Red."

"Red, huh? That's a nice color."

"Yeah. Some people say it's a morbid color to like, but I don't think so. It reminds me of my dad."

"That's nice. Blue was everywhere up in Nunavut, and when you went fishing, the water was so clear…and all the fish seemed to glow as well."

"That's beautiful."

"Yeah." Mako blushed as silence fell over them.

"You want to walk around a bit?"

"Isn't this just an overgrown field? I could sit here all day if I felt like it."

"Yeah, but walking clears the mind." Mako offered his hand after he brushed himself off. Korra took his hand and brushed the back of her shirt. Mako and Korra walked side by side around the field, kicking at the few dandelions that passed them by.

"Do you ever miss your brother?" Korra asked, trying to stir some conversation to rid the space of the awkward silence.

"Yeah. I think about him every day. I feel like he's forgotten about me since he left, because he's been so busy with his kickboxing career. I'm happy for him, though."

"I wish I had siblings."

"You don't have siblings?"

"Nope. I'm an only child. It got lonely up there in Nunavut all the time. Once I was ten, I was shipped off to several masters to start higher training in martial arts. Plus, there aren't that many people."

"But your parents were still cool, right?"

"Yeah. My dad was an awesome fisher and my mom cooked the best sea prunes."

"Sea prunes?"

"Hey, don't knock it 'till you try it!"

"I won't, but it does sound weird, I have to admit."

"As if the Cantonese food you've been cooking for me doesn't sound weird! At least I tried it!" Korra jabbed him in the side.

"And you cooked some, so I'll give you props." A silence fell over the two again, and Korra looked toward the ground.

"You know, I really like it here in Hong Kong, regardless of all the things that made me homesick." Korra's face turned a deep red. "You really did make my stay worthwhile."

"Are you leaving or something?" Mako's face filled with worry, even though he tried hiding it.

"No! I'm not leaving any time soon, I'm just saying that I'm really liking it here in Hong Kong." Mako suddenly pulled her into an embrace, Korra stumbling into him.

"Thank you, Korra."

As the two kept walking, Mako noticed the setting sun in front of them.

"Let's watch the sunset." Korra said. She sat down on the tall grass and relished the space around her. Mako filled in the space she indicated for him to sit down.

The stone heart Mako was left with after his parents' death had slowly shed all of the weighty substance. His heart was almost free, and all that was needed was Korra. All of this time, Korra's glad and happy disposition chipped through to his heart. Mako's heart was ready to burst from the final shell that encased it. After the death of his parents, the love he had for them shattered his fragile heart and piece by piece, Korra mended it with him. Mako was finally ready to let his heart love and be free again.

Korra however, wasn't ready. As fearless as she was, she still remained cowardly in the face of love. Korra knew how to fend for herself. It seemed like she knew everything...except how to love. All the while she had been training, she had never found a person she loved like Mako. There were plenty of crushes and valentines, but nothing compared to what she felt for Mako. At the rate of her new found emotion, she ran away from the thick complexity, not knowing what to do with it. She had been afraid and unsure to love him, even though everything was right. The foreign emotion of love that stemmed past friendship scared her.

Korra didn't know what was to come with it, and she didn't want her heart dropped and shattered into pieces. The strong wall around her was impenetrable, she thought. She couldn't think about him without feeling vulnerable anymore. Letting someone take care of her, holding her, loving her...it was all to foreign. She was convinced she could take care of herself by herself, that she didn't need Mako. But in all reality, she needed Mako more than air.

"Hey, Korra?"

"Hmm?"

"You know, you're the most selfless person I've ever met and, you are pretty amazing too. To think that a few months ago, we weren't friends, and now….I can't really imagine my life without you."

"It's weird, because I could say the same thing about you, Mako." He gently placed his hand over hers, smiling softly. Mako's eyes amber eyes met her deep blue eyes. They were wild, like the ocean, yet soft like tides.

Korra's heart pounded. Her heart began to rip at the seams as Mako's heart began to shed the final layer that would make his heart free again. Korra's mind raced back and forth, trying to find a way out of the situation. She knew she loved him, she did, but she couldn't wrap her mind on _how_ to love him. Not knowing what lied ahead in the midst of her confused love for Mako was too much. The concrete ideas of friendship and companionship were easy for Korra, but love was hard.

As Mako leaned in closer and closer to Korra, he could feel his heart becoming lighter and lighter. He lightly brushed her face with his thumb and Korra's eyes started to water. Her heart was breaking with all of the emotion coursing through her veins. She was too afraid to love him, even though everything was telling her it was alright. All of the fear shacked up inside her heart was working against her, pulling her away from him.

Mako's lips slowly brushed her own, and Korra pulled back, removing his hand from her face.

"Did I do something wrong?" Everything seemed to stop in time for him. His eyes began to fill with worry, searching Korra's face, and all he saw was pure fear.

"No, Mako. You're fine." Korra looked away from him. "I'm sorry."

"Wait, Korra! What's wrong?" Mako tried to pull her back but the sadness that began to wash back over him weakened his grip, letting Korra loose.

"I'm sorry, Mako." She choked. Mako watched as Korra ran from him as fast as the wind could carry her. He could feel his mended heart start to break and tear as he watched the girl he learned to love disappear from his sight. The layers that had been shattered through started to push back down on his heart, erasing the fixing he and Korra had done together.

With each tear Korra shed, her heart began to clamp tighter and tighter, making her fear the love she had been filled with more and more.


	12. Everywhere

"Korra, wait!" Mako called across the training area. Korra almost leapt into the locker rooms just as Mako caught up to her. Still calling her name, he banged on the door, Korra feeling worse with every knock that ensued.

"What the hell did I do?" Korra asked herself softly. She buried her face in her hands before letting the tears fall from her eyes.

Mako sat by the door, hopeful that Korra would show herself. It had been two days since their fallout, and Korra hadn't talked to Mako since.

"Korra!"

"What?"

"Are you going to even try and explain what I did wrong?" Korra struggled to find the words that she needed. The more she thought about something, the blanker her mind went, sending her into a trance of staring at the floor.

"Korra?" Mako called out once more. He heard no reply and the sides of his face momentarily twitched downward in dissapointment. He walked past the door and back into the training area. He ran his fingers through his messy hair looking back and forth across the room.

It was like he couldn't feel anything. A wave washed over Mako, leaving nothing but barrenness.

* * *

The girl looked around her apartment, the cleanliness of it all. Mako helped Korra clean her space weeks ago, and she managed to keep it looking like new.

No matter how much Korra paid attention to the fact that everything inside this space belonged to her and only her, she couldn't wipe Mako's face from her memory. They were so close, so close to having it all, but her timidness got the better of her. Her stubborn, independent mentality stopped her from loving the person she loved most.

Wandering aimlessly around her house, she fell onto her bed, pushing her hair out of her face. There was really nothing she could look forward to anymore.

* * *

_"Why on Earth did I decide to listen to this record?" _Mako thought to himself, switching off the player. He looked out of his window again to see if he could find Korra, but her window was closed tight and the blinds drawn.

For three weeks already, they never talked, spoke to each other, or contacted each other. All they could do was think of what they used to be, or what they could have been.

Everything was nothing without her. Like a sea without the waves. He could see the difference in himself. He looked around at his place and saw Korra's influence everywhere. The way she purposely made the pictures on the wall ajar, put the pillows in interesting spots, random magnets on his fridge, she was everywhere.

Never had someone been able to change him like so. It was only Korra who seemed to know just what he needed.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Yes. Short Chapter, I know. **

**I know you guys are about ready to murder me! I'm sorry for going away for so long! Please don't throw stuff!**

**School hasn't really picked up much for me, even though it's been like 3 weeks, except for a few classes. I'm so sorry that I never updated this story in so long though! Such terrible procrastination. I know. **

**But, this story is almost over (that's the way I planned it!) and all of these chapters have been sitting here, but I've forgotten to update sometimes, so please forgive me! **

**Thank you for reading!**


	13. Picking up the Pieces

Mako sat on his couch, mindlessly flipping through the pages of a newspaper. Without Korra, he didn't have much to do anymore, and he sat everyday after work thinking about her and only her. Ever since their little incident, he hadn't spoken to Korra in over three months. Every morning, she watched carefully to see that Mako was on his way to work before she left. Her bright and shining face had been masked by a dull and neutral expression, which hurt Mako the most. He missed her, even though he wasn't sure if she ever wanted to see him again.

Korra hadn't returned to her true self after the incident. As warm as her heart was, it was dimmed and put away, being replaced by a replica to make up for her broken heart. Everyday she saw Mako, and she wanted to just hold him, feel him, but she was still too afraid.

As she slowly crossed her bedroom, Korra paused when she saw a thick stack of notebooks she vaguely remembered. Her brow furrowed as she picked one up and read the large texts, taking up pages at a time.

_"Windows." _Korra thought. Her mouth hung agape as she scattered through them, laughing at the silly words and jokes she came up with. Her face dropped once again as she fell into her mantra of blaming herself again.

"Mako..." She whispered, shedding a tear. Her memories with him flashed through her mind with every minute that passed by. She curled into the corner of her room with the books, chuckling ever now and then.

Mako, in his apartment, walked to his kitchen, but backtracked as soon as he saw Korra's window. For the past few months, Korra kept her window closed and her blinds shut. Before their incident, they freely entered and exited each other's apartments at will, always smiling as they saw each other.

"Her window is open." Mako mumbled to himself, standing dumbfounded.

* * *

Korra chuckled one last time before pausing. She knew had forgotten something once she came back home from work.

"My window!" She darted out of her bedroom and headed straight for the window, stopping once she saw Mako standing there. Her heart told her to just run and hold him, but defying the command, she turned and began to flee but was stopped by Mako's grip. She wriggled against him, tears welling up in her eyes and her heart beating faster as she began to cry, still struggling against him. Korra flailed her arms wildly, but Mako's grip never faltered, making her grunt angrily.

"Korra, talk to me, please." Mako pleaded.

"Let me go!" She fiercely twisted her arms, trying her hardest to release herself. The fear bottling up inside was her driving force, but Mako wouldn't let her run away this time.

"No!" Mako continued to work against her fighting as her frustration and fear began to take her over.

"Just leave me alone! Go away! Get back on with your life, Mako!"

"I can't!"

"Why not! Just forget about me! I'm fine!"

"That's the thing! I can't forget about you, Korra! I just _can't_!" He yelled, holding her shoulders. He searched Korra's face for her gaze, but her eyes darted around, Mako having to chase them until Korra spoke again.

"Well just leave. It doesn't matter anymore." Korra said, almost whispering. Mako stared at her in surprise.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Korra?" Mako asked. She stood there, looking at the small space of floor between them. She carpeted ground started to blur as water filled her eyes. "Korra?"

"Let me go, Mako!"

"I can't, Korra!"

"Why?" She kicked at the carpet in front of her, swallowing so she wouldn't begin to cry. He tried again to find her gaze, but she stared straight at the ground. He placed his hands on her shoulders again, pulling her closer.

"Korra, look at me." He ordered. She stubbornly stared at the floor, refusing to make eye contact. "Korra!" She fought to remove his hands, but he caught her wrists, Korra unable to fight anymore.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Korra screamed.

"I CAN'T!" Mako held her face with his shaking hands, forcing her to look up at him. "I can't just forget about you, because I _love _you, Korra! Do you understand? I don't have a purpose anymore without you! That's why I can't just forget you! You are the one who's keeping me from falling apart! Out of all the other people in the universe, you are the only one who could mend and fix me, Korra. That's why I can't let you go. You've put a space in my heart that can only be filled by you."

Korra looked into his amber eyes and saw them start to gleam with tears. Slowly, his face came closer and closer, and Korra began to panic...again. As their lips touched, the fear shackled to Korra's heart held her back once more and she pulled back. Mako frowned and let go of her face, feeling the sting of hurt pulse through him.

Korra struggled to find the correct words to say as Mako stood there, towering over her. She looked down and buried her head in her hands, closing her eyes tightly and wishing it could all just be easy and simple. Complications scared her, and the complicated mass of affection tangled with her fear of love was still unceremoniously bouncing around inside her.

"Why, Korra?"

"Why, what? You're being vague."

"You know what I'm asking." Korra paused after looking at him. The snarling fear inside her stung at her eyes again, and she quickly wiped the small, briny droplets before looking up at him again.

"Why did you lead me on, Korra?"

"I didn't, Mako."

"What do you call this, then?"

"Me being stupid."

"I don't understand, Korra."

"It's hard to explain, Mako. I can't just give you an answer."

"At least try, Korra." Mako pleaded, stroking her arm. Korra's eyes poured over with tears, Mako watching as she held back the wild and sad sobs that threatened to erupt. Mako took either side of her face again, wiping the tears with his thumbs and stroking her soft skin on her face.

"I was afraid, okay!" She erupted.

"Of what, Korra?"

"Of you." She said quietly.

"I still don't understand, Korra."

"I was afraid of loving you, Mako!" The fear surrounding Korra's heart began to sever, freeing her of the urge to run away. "The feeling I had when I first met you, Mako...it was so strong. I didn't know what I was supposed to do with it! Every time I saw you, it was there, and it built up bigger and stronger every day. I just...I don't-This isn't easy for me, Mako."

"This hasn't been easy for me either. I can't stand it when you're not around."

"It's all so foreign. I almost don't know what it is. I can't talk about it without feeling so...so-"

"Vulnerable."

"Yeah." Korra nodded. "I've never had to deal with this before. I barely even had a concept before I met you. I'm used to everything being platonic between people. Not really"

"Oh." Mako said, dropping his hands down her arms and to her hands, where he stroked them softly. "I guess I was going to fast, then."

"No, no. You're fine." Korra replied. "I was just...being Korra." She paused as she caught his gaze. "Is there something wrong? Something else you need to tell me?"

"Ah! Um, no. It's just...I..uh...I missed you a lot, you being Korra." Korra smiled as he pulled her into an embrace. As he drew back, he paused. "Are you still afraid?"

"Not anymore." Korra said. Mako looked at her, eyes displaying warmth and utmost love before pressing his lips against hers, the both of them melting into each other and washing away in their love.

As Mako kissed her, the scrappy layers that remained on his heart seemed to fly away, making Mako free of all the grief, worry, and morose character that burdened him. Mako could feel his heart become lighter and lighter, clearing space for his love: Korra.

* * *

**A/N: Oh hey there. **

**Yeah, I didn't die. **

**Sorry, I kept you guys waiting for SOOOOO long. I've had this chapter written FOREVER, but I nearly forgot about it in the midst of school and trying to make new friends! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! **

**Please forgive me, and this story is gonna wrap up soon! (this was all planned guys) But don't be sad because I have a MAJOR plot bunny for a new story, so this isn't the last of me! **

**UntamedArtistry**


End file.
